Garda cold case team to review inquiry into missing JoJo as sister calls for end to 'nightmare'

The Kilkenny woman has been missing for more than 24 years. Her last known movements were when she was trying to get a lift home from the village of Moone, Co Kildare.

Ms Dullard was just 21 when she disappeared on November 9, 1995, but despite extensive investigations, she has not been found.

Senior investigators have now said the review into the disappearance will look at the evidence gathered from the first day.

Det Chief Supt Walter O'Sullivan, of the Serious Crime Review Team, told the Irish Independent that interviews carried out previously will also be reviewed.

Appealed

The Dullard family have said the review gives them hope, and have appealed for those with information to come forward.

Kathleen Bergin, Ms Dullard's sister, told the Irish Independent: "We had meetings before this and we wanted the gardaí to review the case.

"We met in March of this year, and we have been formally told they will be reviewing the case.

"They are getting their information together and we have met (Garda Commissioner) Drew Harris.

"I just want to make sure they have enough manpower and resources. They will go more in-depth into [it] this time. It gives us hope and someone has information.

"Someone has information, and we need them to come forward and help us. We can't do it without them."

Ms Bergin added: "People might not want to go to a Garda station, but if gardaí go to them... it's 24 years and circumstances change for people. There are people who know what happened.

"I would ask people to keep an open mind. We need them to come forward.

"Someone made a choice to take JoJo and she had her whole future ahead of her.

"People can end this nightmare for us. We just want to bring her home. It's the decent thing to do. The biggest gift they could give us is to tell us what happened to JoJo.

Ms Bergin was speaking at the seventh annual National Missing Persons Day at King's Inns, Dublin, yesterday.

The event was attended by dozens of families of missing people, as well as gardaí involved in the investigations, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Junior Minister David Stanton.

RTÉ's Barry Cummins, who hosted the event, said the venue had changed in recent years, with the numbers attending growing every year.